The Reading Room

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

I loved “Snowman with a Dark Coat” by Castalia, it’s become one of my favourites from all the fics we’ve the read at the Reading Room. Thanks to the discerning reader who recced it and to others who pointed out even more reasons to love it.




Coming up next is "Christmas Snow" by PFL:

http://hatstand.slashcity.net/pfl/snow.html
http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/7/christmassnow.html
Printed in: Virtual Pros: The Christmas Edition, Bovinity Press, 1998

Look out for my post here on 3 December.

For a list of more very classy seasonal fics, have a look under the cut:




10 December “Scenes from the Edge” by Kate MacLean, recced by jgraeme2007.
http://hatstandfic.net/viewstory.php?sid=552


17 December - Christmas fic - by popular choice!



It’s time to choose a fic for the Reading Room Christmas party on 17 December.

A very big thank you to the generous readers who offered a rich assortment of goodies for our poll. And here they are:

A Christmas Story by Slantedlight
http://hatstand.slashcity.net/slanted/xmasstory.html

And Close the Path by Sihaya Black
http://hatstand.slashcity.net/sihaya/andclose.html

Bleak House by M. Fae Glasgow
http://www.oblique-publications.net/archives/bdictumi/3_BeneIBaaah.pdf

Boxing Day by The Hag
http://hatstand.slashcity.net/hag/boxing.html

Down to the Waterline by Sebastian
http://hatstand.slashcity.net/sebastian/down.html

Festival of Lights by Dorinda
http://hatstand.slashcity.net/dorinda/festival.html

I Saw Three Ships by M. Fae Glasgow
http://www.oblique-publications.net/archives/1note/6_1qthreeships.pdf

The Larton Chronicles by Rhiannon
not online, but in print from Gryphon Press – any probs, drop me a message.

The Poll (bear with me, this is the first poll I've attempted):

[Poll #1492915]

Please vote by midnight GMT on Sunday 6 December. In the event of a tie, if nobody minds, I’ll ask the OH to draw the titles out of a hat, and maybe we could have the runner-up for our first fic in January?

Comments

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I'm so pleased you feel that way about Snowman! Castalia was also responsible for one of my very favourite paragraphs from Sentinels:

He hides his face in the curve of my neck. His stubble rasps and scratches on my skin. A little sweat, bittersweet. I smell it on him, and feel the need to lick it off him. Still have it bad, I reckon. Then come the kisses, the need to map me. As if Bodie, in these dreams of his, forgets my shape, my taste.

....I think it's that 'need to map me' which always really gets to me.

Thanks a lot and looking forward to the next rec.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

I don't know one of them - so I would be content with 'no matter which one'!
So no voting possible for me! (and I'm so curious...) :-)

And how about Love In A Faithless Country by Alexandra for January?

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

Okay, noted, thanks.

"And how about Love In A Faithless Country by Alexandra for January?"

oh, yes please!!!!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

OK!
And as much as I can tell now, I don't mind the date - just say when!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It occurs to me (suddenly and belatedly) that at least three of these fics, as well as the one under discussion for this week and also last week's, are written by authors currently active in the fandom. I can't remember exactly what was decided in that poll/discussion a while ago, where you asked people for their opinions of this - do you? I'm sure it won't be a problem, but..?

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

oops, sorry not to have replied to this. I plead the disruption of being away over the weekend. It's a good point you make.

I was the one who naively failed to realise for several months how many authors whose fics we've discussed are on lj. My recollection is that we generally agreed that on-line fics are in the public domain and authors accept fair comment and discussion of them. We certainly didn't agree to avoid fics by currently-active authors.

Now we have a schedule in advance, I guess also an author would have the opportunity to veto discussion of their fic if they wanted to.

Hopefully, our discussions are constructive enough, and not too personal, to avoid upsetting authors.